Growing Up Bin Laden - Jean P. Sasson [15]
In her beak she had a nice, round cheese.
Along came a fox, as clever as they come,
“Mmmmm,” he thought. “I’d like to have a bite of that cheese.”
“Oh crow,” called the fox, “if your voice is half as beautiful as those
fine feathers I see, it would please my ears to hear
you sing a little melody.”
Well the crow had never heard anyone say such a nice thing.
So, she opened up her beak and she began to squawk and sing.
Down came the cheese into the waiting mouth of the fox.
“Oh no! You have my cheese,” squawked the crow.
Meanwhile, the fox was licking his lips.
“You got the compliments, and I got the cheese!
It’s a fair enough trade!”
Did my lack of grace made me as conspicuous as a big black crow? The idea brought forth fears, followed by giggles. I struggled with my secret thoughts until the emotional impact of the mosque and my nearness to God helped to calm my mind and erase the bizarre image. I lumbered on, graceless in the midst of so many Saudi women who glided along as elegantly as skilled ice dancers.
By the time I located the spot delegated to female worshippers, the black bird had flown. Never did I reveal my inappropriate thoughts to my husband, who would have been angered by such irreverence. I felt humbled as I knelt to say my heartfelt prayers to God, knowing that he would forgive me for my sins both great and small. Such awe filled my soul that my eyes overflowed with fat tears that rolled down my cheeks.
Within a year of my marriage, my body began to feel strange. I confided in my Auntie Allia, who told me that all the signs made it clear that I was pregnant.
Expecting a child was the loveliest feeling I had ever known. Osama was very happy about my news, and like all Saudi men he expressed his sincere wish that our firstborn be a son. A son for our first would be nice, I thought to myself, but I had always wanted a small daughter so that I might dress her in frilly dresses and braid her long hair. But in truth, like most mothers, I wished for nothing more than for God to give me a healthy baby.
Everyone was more than joyous about the upcoming event. My husband and his family remained solicitous about my health and state of mind for the entire nine months, so I was a pampered expectant mother. There was nothing I needed that I did not receive. I gave thanks to God that I did not suffer during the months before my first child was born. My parents were told and they were pleased as well, although sad that they would not be with their daughter during the happy occasion.
After having such an easy pregnancy, I was surprised by the difficulty and pain of childbirth. I did not go to the hospital but was attended to at our home by a well-trained midwife. The birth was so excruciating for me that my anxious husband announced, “From now on, Najwa will be taken to a hospital for the birth of our children.”
Never have I been so happy to see a face as I was to see the face of our firstborn. He was a healthy baby, thanks be to God for His blessings. We named our little son Abdullah and were in high spirits that he was with us. That first birth was a long time ago, in 1976, but I do remember that there were some problems with feeding him. I was a young and inexperienced mother and did not have the answer to everything. Happily all was resolved over time and Abdullah grew into a healthy toddler.
After Abdullah was born, Osama hired a second Ethiopian maid by the name of Naeemah. What happy days those were! We were a young couple without the usual worries of so many newlyweds. We had our healthy son, we enjoyed close relations with both sets of parents, and we had enough money for our needs. We were blessed.
How I wish we could have stayed in that happy place forever.
We were so occupied with our young family and my husband was so involved with his work and his schooling that the time passed as rapidly as a strong wind. Everything seemed the same to my heart and mind, yet everything was changing.
Within a year of his birth, Abdullah was a precocious toddler and I was pregnant once again.